Well rested, those pillows were delightful! I’m a bed and pillow snob now, I don’t look on booking for anything other than the reviews stating that the bed was comfortable - I’ve had my fair share of rock hard beds travelling around and I am not the most delightful person when I haven’t slept very well.
I need to check the bitfit I feel as though I slept deep all night, feeling fresh! Maybe that’s because I’m not going to work?
Onto the next flight, Nevsehir!
The airport drop was easy and lots of checks getting into the airport but again my documents weren’t checked for vaccination or PCR, maybe because it’s domestic?
Very busy airport but all quick and easy, I’m pretty sure I look polish or Romanian, I was asked it twice yesterday and this morning the security check officers were talking to me in Turkish. “Yeah sorry love I don’t speak Turkish what do you want?” Looking at me blankly like why doesn’t she understand me or do as I say. Clock the passport, I’m not from around here!
Anyways before I knew it I was back above the clouds for an hour or so.
But of a hair raising moment when the plane goes into land twice and then pulls back up into the air, getting a little sweaty on the ole palms now and no message from the flight deck. I not fond of moments like this, get me on the effin floor now please drive.
Finally third attempt and lots of Horray’s and clapping we landed, wasn’t sure we we had gone back into the 90s! Pheeeeewwww.
The sun is hot but it’s not sweaty (if that makes any sense) the air feels clean and slightly cool now and again when the breeze comes along. There are a lot of Christmas trees planted everywhere. I’m really not sure why but I was expecting the language to be Arabic like, it looks more Serbian/Russian/Polish looking with the buildings and roads and sign posts and Christmas trees planted everywhere!
It wasn’t long we were in Goreme - Cappadocia! The valley was spectacular, how on earth are these rock formations made? Honestly unbelievable to see, something I’ve never seen ever before!
Our names were called off by the bus driver one by one who’s turn was it next, it’s that dreaded pull up to a hotel and your name gets called to the s*** looking one with a stray dog outside on its last legs. Luckily none that were called were bad looking (how could they be with these sand coloured buildings down all the cobbled streets)?
Elite Cave Suites was mine, the terrace looked lovely and yes I’m a living in cave for the week! Bit weird but pretty cool! No a/c which shocked me at first I think he could tell by the look on his face so he got me a fan - I’m turning into a Middle East snob! I knew it was time to get out of Dubai for a while!
I had a quick shower and change and had a looksie around town. Very beautiful all the hotels and restaurants built into the mountain and the rock formations, spoilt for choice with restaurants but I wanted one that had a view so I could get lost staring out and relax - I am on holiday after all! I needed to find some food, the small coffee and bottle of water had worn off from 6am this morning and I wasn’t fancying a doner kebab this morning in the airport.
Few hours passed and I was left alone to watch the view at Haruna restaurant on the terrace, a beer or three went down a treat and at 2€ even better!
I headed up the alleyways to the hotel and booked my day trips for the week and Turkish hamam (Turkish bath) for this evening, had a snooze on the terrace and attempted some hand washing of a few T-shirt’s.
The last time I’d had a Turkish bath was in bodrum when I’d gone on an ice lolly holiday with febe and Cerys about 12 years ago so my memory was vague.
Very nice place, Elis hamam baths. It was all downstairs underground, men and women separate of course. Well bloody good job I say… boobies flying about everywhere and they’re not shy!
Got shown around by a very enthusiastic little old women who spoke very little English but couldn’t wait to show me around and remind me to relax (whilst she pulled her arms down and took a deep breath and her eyes rolled into the back of her head). There was so much to remember, sauna - steam - salt room - swimming pool - cold showers in between then bubble massage. Or did the swimming pool come before the salt room? Either way I had to try and relax and shut off, I lasted well in the sauna but the steam room not so much it was breathtaking!
The salt room had the walls made of salt bricks and some were on the salt seats, didn’t really know what to do with them so started rubbing them on my legs and then the little old lady came back and told me to “ahhhh yes you hold here on heart, ahhhh yes, mmmm you relax, and ahhh” okay I get it!
Whoooops opened the shower door on a women with no top on… walk swiftly away from that one… straight into a women lying completely naked on the big stone in the middle of the Turkish bath room ready to be scrubbed and bubble massaged with a pillow case.
Then…. It was my turn. My lady top off, lie down. Uhhh okay let’s embrace this one then! I was not taking my bottoms off she can get gone if she thinks that’s happening. All the massagers were in black bikinis, I had a cross between nanny McPhee and Mrs. Brown, she was bloody wild.
She asked me where I was from, I’m coming to think no one here knows the ‘UK’ or ‘United Kingdom’ she said UKRAINE! Ummm no. Then I had to say the dreaded E word because she of course didn’t know where Wales was! That was it once I told her I was (can hardly bring myself to write it…) England. Then she went urgh and scowled then they started chatting in Turkish - this was not good. I don’t think they like the English? Not to be argued but still I was in a sticky situation lying on this marble counter whilst she scrubs the s*** out of my skin. Maybe I’ll start telling people I’m Irish, I wonder if they’ll know where that is?
Front has been scrubbed, time to roll over.. this next thing could only happen to me. Scrubbing my skin away, starts the bubble massage once it’s been drained out of the blown up pillow case. All seems fine, gives me a massage feet up to neck down the arms. Goes back for the legs (no she’s wedged my bikini bottoms so far up my arse so that they look like a G string, then… smack! “Very sexy lady! Oooo yes haha!” I’m very sorry to who ever reads this but WHAT THE f***! If I check now I bet her hand print is still on my right but cheek! Think mum was worried about the male species in Turkey, it’s the other way around for me clearly. Then if that’s not awkward enough she had to help me up so that I am sat facing her whilst she massages my neck and stares me in the eyes smiling with her nanny McPhee tooth.
I mean she did a great job and I felt pretty relaxed until she gave my ass a slap. Bloody hell fire, embrace and laugh Beth!
I got a 20 minute reflexology after that, it was nice except the masseuse yawning, the music was very loud or turning off, and crackling and the little old lady coming in to pay me on the shoulder (she looked scary in the dark) and then someone knocked a plant pot off the edge of the flight of stairs and it went bang crash wollop, I mean the whole thing was relaxing to start with and in the end I just laughed because why wouldn’t this happen to me.
I went to grab some food at the viewpoint afterwards another cracking view of the valley, I’m just so in awe of this place!
I ordered a clay pot kebab, I’m pretty sure it’s just a specialty in Cappadocia because of the pot it’s in looks like some of the domes/sculptures/rock formations (don’t know what to call them) here.
Try to get an earlier night, I have a very early start tomorrow!